But Ethan cut her off, his tone firmer now. “You don’t need to come,” he said, before hanging up. A few minutes later, another message from him buzzed on my phone: [If you stop by, grab a bag of tomato-flavored chips for Fiona from the store.]
I sighed, the sarcasm bubbling up in me as I smiled faintly.
Now, I am the topic of a funny gossip. The pack's Luna was just someone's errand woman.
When I pushed the door open to the private room where the party was being held, I spotted Ethan immediately. He was feeding Fiona a slice of cake, her eyes wide as she looked up at him adoringly.
The moment Ethan saw me, his expression darkened with irritation. I could see it in his eyes—he hadn’t expected me to show up.
“Skylar!” Fiona greeted me with a saccharine smile, her voice like syrup.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Didn’t I tell you not to come?” he snapped, his irritation clear.
Before I could respond, Fiona jumped in, pouting dramatically. “I’m sorry, Ethan. I just really wanted those chips, so I tricked her into coming,” she said, feigning innocence.
Ethan’s hard expression softened as he reached out to ruffle her hair. “You little munchkin,” he muttered with a fond smile.
I watched the exchange, my resolve hardening. This was my moment.
I reached into my bag and pulled out a resignation letter, stepping forward. “Ethan, one of my colleagues has a family emergency and needs to leave. I need you to approve this.”
He barely glanced at the letter before scribbling his signature, his attention still focused on Fiona. But as he handed the letter back to me, his fingers brushed against the burn marks on my palm, a reminder of the cake I’d made. His brow furrowed, his eyes lingering on my hand.
“You came here just for this?” he asked, his voice low and unreadable.
I nodded, keeping my expression neutral.
His face darkened, and for a second, I thought he was going to say something more. But then he flinched, pulling his hand back like he’d been burned. Disgust flashed across his face, and I knew it wasn’t just about the cake.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Fiona’s eyes light up. “Oh! Skylar! That red bracelet you’re wearing... it looks familiar,” she said, leaning in with a sly smile. “I just remembered—I saw something just like it in Ethan’s trash can the other day.”
I saw Ethan subtly move his hand to cover his wrist, but I pretended not to notice.